Future iPhones, Galaxies may mark the end of SIM cards as we know them

It could happen next year

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What's the future for smartphones? Handsets that don't require physical SIM cards, according to a new report.

The Financial Times is reporting that Apple and Samsung are in "advanced talks" with major telecommunication companies and GSMA, the industry association that represents mobile operators, to standardize e-SIMs.

It would mean that any phone, tablet or other gadgets that can be connected to a network via an e-SIM will be able work with any carrier that supports the new SIM technology.

A new kind of SIM

According to the report, AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Hutchison Whampoa, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone are some of the networks around the world that are expected to support the new technology.

It's unknown if other phone-makers are in talks with GSMA as well, and nothing is set in stone yet as the technical specifications of the new e-SIM architecture is yet to be finalized.

And even if GSMA is successful in standardizing a common architecture for the e-SIMs, it could take up to a year or more for it to become a feature on phones.

"With the majority of operators on board, the plan is to finalize the technical architecture that will be used in the development of an end-to-end remote SIM solution for consumer devices, with delivery anticipated by 2016," Anne Bouverot, chief executive of the GSMA, told the Financial Times.

Apple had a similar idea for SIMs a couple of years ago for the iPhone 5